Reflecting on 2022 has me with mixed feelings because I am not so sure how and where to start but anyway I have started. This is my favorite/most confusing time of the year.
One thing I know is that being a technical writer can be quite exciting or confusing, depending on how you look at it. It's a job that requires creativity and problem-solving skills, as well as good computer knowledge. You'll find yourself solving problems for people in your industry and gaining experience working in their day-to-day capacity. If that sounds appealing, then read on!
What It Was Really Like To Be A Technical Writer In 2022
My Life As A Technical Writer In 2022
The transition from non-technical to technical writer wasn't a seamless one for me. Before getting into tech writing, I am a student who had worked as a customer service representative which was unrelated to technology.
In 2022 it is safe to say I felt all the emotions you can think of. I felt a little bit of pain, tears, anger, sadness, confusion, etc. All of which still pushed me to want to be better.
Let's just say there are some inconsistencies in life that make you question yourself if this path is meant for you or not.
Challenges
I am a Final year philosophy student at the University of Lagos. We all know that the educational system in Nigeria is very unstable and due to the strike, every student was at home due to the fact that the government wouldn't pay the lecturers their salaries.
Mind you this isn't the first time they are going on strike for this same reason. In fact, I have been stuck in the 400 level (final year) for over 2 yrs until they finally called off the strike.
All of this was really depressing but regardless this was what pushed me to transition into Tech as a Technical writer as I wasn't sure what school holds.
I got my first official Job as a Technical writer intern (REMOTE) for a start-up company, I was super excited because it definitely felt like my dream job. They sent me a Macbook and the salary was worth it so I felt on top of the world and I saw this as a sign that Technical writing is meant for me.
It was very easy to accept this job because schools were still on strike and I wasnt sure when they will call it off the main question I asked myself was "Even if they call off the strike, would you be able to balance work with school? in my mind I kept on saying "yes I can".
I started the job and everything was going smoothly because I was happy to learn on the job without my undivided attention.
My main challenge came when they suddenly called off the strike in October, to be very honest when I saw the school calendar and the short period of time they wanted us to finish a whole semester, I had a panic attack that gave everyone around me a scare. I literally went blank for a while.
We had standups every morning which was clashing with my classes in the mornings, my attention was divided because most times lecturers organized impromptu tests which will require me to run from my hostel and leave work to write my test.
I was struggling because on some days I will miss standups and go to my morning classes and on some days I will miss my morning classes to attend standups. I took lots of excuses because seeing as I am in my final year in school I had lots of school work to do, my focus was divided and I almost lost my mind.
Learning something new at the office and learning school work I couldn't focus on one thing and if I give primacy to one, the other one suffers. I had sleepless nights because It was at night I try to cover up for which task I couldn't compete against the next day for either school or work whichever one I will be attending the following morning.
I fell sick but regardless I was still working and trying to meet up with school work, at this point the food I was eating was based on stress and not because I was hungry. To be honest I was fully able to meet up with office work and if I were the manager I will be upset.
One of the main challenges was when I wanted to write my exams and I needed 2 weeks' leave from work to focus on just my exams, I realized that my leave wouldn't be granted because to be fair they didn't want to employ a student and wanted someone who is focused on just them and that was something I had a hard time doing so I lost my job.
When I lost my job, I cried and I didn't give myself enough room to feel because It was going to affect my reading for exams. I was angry but I wasn't sure if I was angry at myself or the school because in a twinkle of an eye the joy I felt when I got the job turned into hurt, confusion, nonchalance, etc.
As I look back on my career so far, this job offered everything I had wanted to experience. Do I miss some aspects of other jobs? Sure. But I can't complain that I don't have this anymore.
Another challenge I faced as a Technical writer was inconsistency. As much as I said I wanted to be consistent in posting my articles, it was easier said than done. I won't even try to make excuses for this one.
Consistency was also hard because before I got the Job as a Technical writer I had a job as a customer service representative at Jumia that also took all my time mostly my strength whenever I am back home. Let's just say my time-management skills weren't top notch but I will try again next year.
Accomplishments
Even if I lost my job, one of the memorable accomplishments I achieved was getting a job as a Technical writer intern. I finally got the experience I wanted and my blog on hashnode was noticed.
Another accomplishment will be that I was a part of the winners of the writethaton challenge that was organized on hashnode. I was so excited that I was part of the winner.
I earned the #talkofthetown, #wordwarrior, and #WomenWhoTechbadges, and it really meant a lot to me and made me know I am doing a great job.
I got to network with other techies in different fields but most especially technical writing and I realized that technical writers are constantly changing and adapting to new technologies, especially in the area of documentation.
I got to collaborate with UI/UX designers and Frontend developers in the area of documentation for an application they are trying to build.
Learned about various technical writing tools and also a lot about API documentation.
Lessons I Learned As a Technical Writer In 2022
The word "balance" is not as easy as it seems but rather deals with things as they come. That means learning to find beauty in the midst of chaos instead of finding balance.
Network: I got my first job through networking.
You can't know everything, learn to ask questions, and if a person doesn't give you a reply then research. This is because in Tech there is always something new or old that you don't know about and it's a plus when you learned them.
Sometimes we might not follow through effectively with plans we make because things happen.
Believe in yourself and surround yourself with people that believe in you: This gave me the strength to keep pushing regardless of losing my job.
Result: Results can either be good or bad but whatever it is the end goal is never to give up. Restrategize if you can but giving up is never an option.
It's really okay to break down sometimes.
Everyone has different paths to follow.
Change is inevitable.
Time management is effective for you to learn how to work with it.
Technical writing is more than just writing. That is there are various aspects to Technical writing.
Piece of advice for those starting out in Technical Writing
If you're a technical writer, then perhaps it's time to start thinking about which areas are ripe for disruption in your industry—and what you'll need to do to adapt and thrive in those situations.
Will you be able to take advantage of new technologies to change how you deliver documentation? Will you have to take on different responsibilities, or will the focus of documentation change entirely? Answering these types of questions now can help lead you down the right path as technology continues to advance over the coming years.
Technical writers are constantly making changes to fit into their ever-changing environment. There is more to technical writing than just writing.
Technical Writing Is Hard well there is no easy career part. You must learn the basics, Research on the latest technical writing tools in use now, there is a difference between documentation and API documentation. To write API documentation there are some coding functionalities you need to understand to write about it.
Plans for 2023
Learning new technical writing tools to upgrade.
Consistently posting tech articles.
Networking and participating in more technical writing competitions.
Learning more about API documentation.
Applying for internship roles as a Technical writer.
Am I scared? YES!!
Will I be fine? Yes or better still I will be fine..
CONCLUSION
Overall, I really enjoyed writing this piece. It didn't require the same creative spark as some of my other works, but it was rewarding to take a look into 2022 and see what it was like in my career path as a technical writer. I'd say it's an appropriate medium if you've ever wondered what your career in tech might look like down the line, as it appears to others.
As I look back on my experiences from the year 2022, I am confident that the lessons I learned will help me in the years ahead to be a better Technical writer. I don't know for sure what the future holds, but I'll always be prepared because of what happened to me when I was a technical writer in the year 2022.
Damn this year tested me!!! but we move unto the next... We lose, we learn, and we keep pushing!!
CHEERS TO 2023!!! 🎉